But for Ginori:Or, the Prophetic Powers of Hescafé
by ActaFabula
Summary: Following the Club’s trip to his family's bench house in Okinawa, Kyouya is pensive. Does his bemused state stem from certain events that transpired there? Will he find the answer to his questions in the muddy grounds of his Hescafe? Haruhi hopes so.
1. Chapter 1

**Hinge Factor Part 1: But For Ginori: Or the Prophetic Powers of Hescafe**

A/N: Greetings and salutations one and all. To my new readers, welcome. To my faithful readers, welcome back. This is the prologue to **But for Ginori: Or the Prophetic Powers of Hescafé** that, while it started as an independent story is now a part of a tripartite story arc known as Hinge Factor. I hope you enjoy it. I certainly had fun writing it, as it has to do with my very favorite subject- Coffee! However, I would have to argue that instant is only coffee in the sense that it might have brushed past a bag of real coffee (ie that which actually either contained coffee beans or was ground from coffee beans) in the supermarket. It goes right up there with decaf as a true abomination against nature. Never underestimate the power of a good cup of coffee! Oh, and to clarify- Kyouya's thoughts are in bold and Haruhi's aren't- I originally thought that I would just have their thoughts separated into different chapters, but at the end the point and counterpoint got a little bit too short to warrant new chapters. Please R and R! But no flame if you please- although I am a dragon I am not fond of flames. They hurt despite the scales.

Disclaimer: Helas. I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or the characters that appear therein.

Overture:

Hinge factor: n. a military term used to describe an unexpected event that forever changes the outcome of a situation. Be it unexpected heroism, unconscionable stupidity, or the caprices of changing weather, some of the most important battles in history were called because of a seemingly inconsequential but highly important moment in time.

Before that day,

The day she walked into our lives.

Our games were self-centered.

Who was Karou,

And who was Hikaru.

However, she saw us as individuals,

Showed us that there were others in the world beyond the two of us.

Taught us to worry about others beyond ourselves.

So following that fateful trip to Okinawa

When we discovered that we could perhaps bring great happiness to her

We decided to play a game, a game that would bring two people together that would probably never even considered a relationship if she hadn't fallen over that cliff.

But as we could not be broken of all of our cruelty

We brought another into our game.

"Renge-kun," We shouted!

"Let's play a game!!!"

Sighing deeply, she turned, "What game?"

"It's the, can we make Haruhi and Kyouya fall in love….Game!!!!!"

She was hesitant.

She had feelings for them both.

But she could not resist the possibility of invoking the fires of moe.

So she joined our game.

And became our willing partner

In our attempts to bring Kyou-senpai and Haru-chan together.


	2. Chapter 2

**But for Ginori: Or, the Prophetic Powers of Hescafé**

A/N: Greetings and Salutations! This is the first chapter of But for Ginori- The first part in a three part story arc. Hope you enjoy

Acta!

Disclaimer: Helas. I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or the characters that appear therein.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Kyouya Cogitates**

**It was the Monday following the Club's long weekend at my family's beach house and my mind had yet to let go of certain events that had transpired there. Unfortunately for me, my fellow hosts had detected my bemused state. However, I was so enwrapped in my inner world that I remained unaware of my surroundings. This was very uncharacteristic of me I know, but in my defense even the most ruthless and far seeing can be caught flat-footed at times. Thus on that Monday afternoon thousands of Yen could have gone missing and I wouldn't have noticed.**

**Finding it nearly impossible to focus on my accounts I cast aside my faithful notebook in favor of my forgotten cup of "coffee." Staring into my Ginori coffee cup (which was filled, as per Tamaki's whims, with that horrid commoner sludge) I found my mind wandering back to Saturday afternoon. However, not liking the feelings of confusion that were clouding my usually diamond-honed mind I pushed that day into the recesses of my psyche where my boyhood dreams played and focused my attention on my coffee cup. A litany of facts that were pounded into my skull about the various qualities of Ginori, fired through my mind in a staccato procession:**

** Porcelain tableware; House of Ginori, Doccia, Italy; 1730s; 24 karat gold chases the rim of the cup; note the fine curves of the fluting, the near translucence of the porcelain when held to the light and the paper-thin walls of the cup; its tall, cylindrical shape, as opposed to the bowl-shape of the teacup, marks it as a chocolate or coffee cup. Take care not to mix up the two when setting a table.**

**The cup was smooth beneath my fingers; its normally cool exterior warmed by the dregs that sat within, conforming to the fluted shape of the cup. My mind wandered back to Okinawa unbidden; back to my bed where my body hovered mere inches from hers; eyes locked; one move away from…**

**My inner theatre's projector broke as a familiar voice sounded over my shoulder.**

"**Kyouya-senpai," Haruhi called, "What are you looking at? Are you trying to divine your future? I don't think Hescafé has prophetic powers."**

**Jostled from my reverie, I straightened my glasses and snapped back, "I don't believe in such old wives' tales. And I was just noticing a hairline crack in this coffee cup. It is of course unusable now. Perhaps it is one of those you bumped while serving coffee to Ms. Kasugasaki?"**

**Her pallor matched the snow-white porcelain of my cup as her warmth ebbed away. Of course the cup was perfect, but for some reason I needed to find a cause for my uncharacteristic bemusement. Damn it! Why didn't I have my notebook at hand? It served as a wonderful shield to keep the world at bay. Instead, I held a coffee cup, fragile in nature yet amazingly enduring given that had survived over 200 years. And it was undoubtedly beautiful.**

**Her retort, delivered with her characteristic sarcasm, was, "I'm sure you'll find a way for me to pay for it."**

**Given the tenor of my previous thoughts my brain derailed. My one thought was**_** hadn't I said something similar just last Saturday?**_** I could feel the hot traces of embarrassment and a cocktail of other emotions course through my body. Putting down my coffee cup I rose with as much decorum as I could muster (given that that cocktail was soon going to make my state of growing excitement very obvious), snapped my notebook closed, adjusted my glasses, and said,**

"**Well Haruhi, as I have a pressing appointment I will deal with this tomorrow. Kindly deal with the coffee cup."**

**Brushing past Haruhi while attempting not to let our hands touch I nearly ran smack dab into the Hitachiin twins who observed our tableau like theatre-goers at the latest melodrama. They chimed in unison, "Khoda hafaz, Kyouya-senpai!"**

**Staring at them for a moment I continued on. I had nearly forgotten that I was dressed in the finery of a sultan and thus it was only fitting that they had wished me goodbye in Farsi, the modern equivalent of the Persian tongues that were spoken in what is now Iran. We were all reenacting Burton's translation of 1001 Arabian Nights for our customers. Cursing my bemused state once again I wished that the plaster set of the Persian palace erected around the perimeter of the music room would fall on their heads thus silencing them forever.**

Haruhi Retorts

It was the Monday following our trip to Okinawa and as usual the Host Club was a seething cauldron of teenage hormones. The latest theme, 1001 Arabian Nights, was a particular success as it left many a bare chest. I myself was dressed as Scheherazade, the spinner of tales. As always I kyboshed the twins' attempts to dress me in a bikini top. However their efforts seemed more assertive than usual as I barely got away with my own choice of costume: a pair of genie pants, a silk tunic and a long flowing veil. Despite my modesty I garnered the usual group of faithful customers who were still absolutely convinced that I was a) male and b) attracted to them. I blithely danced through my sessions, telling them that I would spin a thousand and one tales if it meant that I could spend just a moment with them and other such fluffy nothings. After deftly avoiding several swooning ladies I sat down on a couch and let my eyes wander over to Kyouya-senpai. As it was a good day I wanted to get my most recent tally of customers. However, he seemed lost in thought. His notebook, a constant presence, lay forgotten and he appeared to be staring into his coffee cup.

Hikaru and Kaoru plopped down on either side of me and followed my line of sight. Sensing a misunderstanding in the making, I attempted to escape. However, they had propped their elbows on each of my shoulders thus trapping me there.

"Hey Har-U-Hi-Chan!" they chimed in unison. "Let's play a game!"

Sighing, I gave in, knowing that there was no stopping them when they got an idea into their devilish little heads.

"What game?"

Smiling even more mischievously the shrieked, "It's the what's Kyouya-senpai thinking……GAME!!!!!"

Sighing once again I mumbled, "How should I know? He's the Shadow King after all."

"Are you sure," Hikaru intoned.

"That you don't know?" Kaoru ended.

And together they chimed "Could it have something to do with last Saturday, né?"

Last Saturday? Okinawa? Huh? My perplexity must have shown on my face for they seemed ever more amused. As usual their voices carried thus catching the attention of the whole room, including Tamaki-senpai. A strange look passed over his face but then he turned back to the girl he was hosting. Our Lord was relishing his role as a djinn, stating that he was there to grant her every wish. Taking the twins up on their game some of Kyouya-senpai's ever-ignored customer frothed themselves in a tizzy by suggesting that he was dreaming of taking them up on a magic carpet and would soon sweep them up to show them the world. Tamaki-senpai, having finished with his last customer, seemed eager to push this theory, thus making some of the braver girls draw closer to the Shadow King. As for Kyouya-senpai, he neither confirmed nor denied their guesses.

Hikaru and Kaoru seemed even more amused by the situation and began pushing me towards the Shadow King.

"Go on Haru-Chan," they chimed, "go and see if he will spin his tale for you. Bet it has something to do with Saturday!"

Saturday again? Why Saturday? I had gotten into a bit of a scuffle that could have gone badly. I had worried Tamaki-senpai and the others. I....and then it hit me.

"Oh come on you two!" I hissed. "That was nothing! And by the way how do you know about that?"

"Hmmmmm. How indeed! Now OFF-YOU-GO!!!!!"

And with that they gave me a big shove towards Kyouya-senpai and broke into a twincest moment that drew the attention of every girl in the room thus effectively shielding my progress towards the Shadow King. However they did not catch Tamaki-senpai's eyes for I felt two bright violet-blue globes sweep towards me. I was really beginning to wonder what was going on! After preventing myself from falling across Kyouya-senpai's lap, (which I was _positive_ would have endeared myself to him), I asked,

"Kyouya-senpai, what are you looking at? Are you attempting to divine your future? I don't think that Hescafé has prophetic powers."

Snapping his head towards me and straightening his perfectly straight glasses he said "I don't believe in such old wives tales. And I was just noticing a hairline crack in this cup. It is of course unusable now. Perhaps it is one that you bumped while serving coffee to Ms. Kasusaki?"

Great! He had been inspecting the china for damage. Sighing, I said "I'm sure that you'll find some way for me to pay for it."

With that he put down his cup with more zeal than usual, straightened his glasses once again, snapped his notebook shut and said, "Well Haruhi, as I have a pressing appointment I will deal with this tomorrow. Kindly deal with the cup."

The twins, who had been attempting to eavesdrop, got in Kyouya-senpai's way. His glare, matched with my own, sent them running for the hills.

Once he had left I picked up the cup and discovered that, despite the fact that the white china would need to be soaked to get out the nasty coffee stain that was already starting, there was absolutely no damage. Rather, there was no damage that _I_ did. Further observation revealed that there was a tiny chip missing from the cup's base. Kyouya-senpai had chipped a cup! But regardless of the tiny imperfection it seemed a shame to throw it away. It was still beautiful. I washed and put it away, figuring that it could be used as a daily meeting cup.

I could not help but wonder why he had slammed the cup in that manner. Had Kyouya-senpai gone over the edge? He was so wound up all of the time that I wouldn't have been surprised if he had finally snapped. But then I reconsidered the Twins' insistence that his reverie had something to do with Saturday. Did he feel awkward? Nah! He had always made it abundantly clear that, as I was a commoner, there would never be anything between us. But I had to admit that it had been thrilling having him so close.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And so it begins! I hope you like it! And without further ado, onto chapter 2! Please r and r!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here's chapter two! Wow- it's getting really late. I should go to sleep. In the immortal words of Peter in the Real Ghostbusters, "Sleep, I know what sleep is. If I sleep my body won't be mad at me anymore!"

Disclaimer: Helas, I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or the characters that appear therein.

* * *

**Kyouya Clarifies**

**After I had changed out of my costume in one of the school's many dressing room I called my driver. Teacups, Haruhi and Saturday spun through my mind like one of those silly commoner rides that Tamaki raved about. I myself hated them as they left me feeling out of control, a feeling I disliked intensely. Playing Saturday over and over in my mind I was shocked to discover that there was perhaps the tiniest possibility that I cared for Haruhi as more than a friend.**

**Upon my car's arrival I grabbed my notebook and compared my reaction to Haruhi's imminent death to Tamaki's (who was obviously besotted with her.) We had both acted irrationally. Tamaki had jumped over a cliff while I almost jumped Haruhi. Both of us had felt angered and scared. And then there was my obvious physical reaction, which was thoroughly understandable under the circumstances. However, why the harshness?**

**It wasn't until I had arrived home to afternoon tea that I came to terms with my reactions. The servants had set the table with my favorite set of Ginori. My teacup was very fragile, yet enduring as it had received impeccable care. It was a thing of beauty, something to draw the eye and cause longing in others. It was an object almost wishing to be possessed. As an Ootori brought up in a veritable museum it was almost a given that I would develop a personality driven by the need to possess. I was taught from the start to value things, to obtain them at all costs (especially when they belonged to someone else), and once obtained, to hold onto them with an iron grip. Yet watching Haruhi plummet into the waves had triggered something beyond my usual possessive tendencies. Given the rather loveless nature of my upbringing, and my tacit nature I was poorly equipped to express my feelings. So Haruhi took my advances as a lesson on why she needed to be less naïve about the world. It only followed that, as I was barely aware of my feelings, that she would be blind to them.**

**Yet now that I had discovered my developing feelings, what next? Haruhi was not one to be possessed. She buffeted the advances of those who would attempt to own her while subtle hints at affection went over her head. Once again my hands flew towards my notebook as if to write a business plan for my latest hostile take-over but stopped midway. Looking to my teacup my ideal approach began to form within my mind. I would need to mimic the skills of the master artisan who had fashioned my teacup. He had known the right amount of fine kaolin clay to mould that delicate beauty: Too much clay and the results would be clunky and unsightly; too little and the clay would crumble away unseen. A perfect approach would call for the right amount of pressure and passion. When all was in harmony the results would be stunning. And with the entrance of my father my Ginori teacup broke into a thousand pieces.**

Haruhi flusters

After Kyouya-senpai had left and the doors of the Club had shut for the night, the Twins reappeared from seemingly nowhere. I had plopped down on a couch wishing to catch my breath after being whirled around by an over excited Tamaki-senpai and did not relish another round of interrogation by those two.

"What now," I grumped. The notion that I would have to pay for a cup that I hadn't broken truly pissed me off.

"So Ha-Ru-Hi," they chimed, "What sayeth the Shadow King?"

Knowing that they would needle me until I told them I decided that it was just easier to give in. "He accused me of breaking a cup that he chipped himself!"

I was faced by twin Cheshire cats who wrapped their bodies around me and smiled mischievously. Leaning in close Hikaru whispered "After he left you in his room Kyouya-senpai could barely walk because of his giant…"

On my other side, Kauru intoned, "Oh no Hikaru, don't say such things to her. You promised me that you'd only talk that way to me!"

Leaning across me Hikaru cradled his brother's face and replied, "I'm sorry brother. I just thought that she should know the facts of life. But don't worry; tonight I will say things to you that will make you walk that way too. Still say nothing happened Ha-Ru-Hi? Oh, and by the way, when have you known Kyou-Senpai to treat expensive things so roughly?"

This last point did it. Perhaps there was something more to Saturday. My general state of fluster served as a beacon for Tamaki-senpai. Throwing his arms around me he screamed, "Stop sexually harassing my daughter! Her virgin ears will burn with your naughty words!"

I had had enough! Pushing the Twins to the floor and throwing Tamaki-senpai off my shoulders I countered with, "I am not your daughter Senpai! And I don't believe you Hikaru! I'm leaving!"

But something in the back of my mind made me wonder. Kyouya-senpai's reactions certainly gave me pause.

* * *

Yay! Chapter two is in the can! Now, I must sleep before the green spiders come to get me! Hope you liked it. TTFN! Acta.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello again! I'm back. Thank you very much to my reviewer! I feel very happy that you were willing to take time out of your schedule to give me such encouraging remarks. I hope that you continue to enjoy reading it. The story is finished, I just have to be awake enough to actually work the document uploading system (somebody forgot to put the .doc extension in the file name- duh!) - so hopefully I will stay awake enough to do this. Plus, as I am home for the weekend I have to fight the rest of my family for the computer. SIIIIIGGGGGH! But this will be a big chunk of what is left. Here's the saaad part :( But one has to expect a bit of sadness with this particular pairing. Its funny- I always go for the most difficult guy in the bunch- wonder what that says about me...

Disclaimer- I do not own Ouran, Kyouya (although that would be most happy....) or the other characters therein.

* * *

**Kyouya Obeys**

**Following that strange day when a teacup served as a method of breaking through the clouds of my confusion my familial obligations called for the immediate demise of my newly awakened emotional side. Like an executioner my father strode into my rooms, placed a gun to my dreams and fired. After delivering a severe backhanded slap that left a dark red mark on my pallid face Father said that he was greatly displeased with me. He had received reports of my conduct at the beach house and reminded me that under no circumstances would a liaison with a commoner with so few prospects be tolerated. A suitable match would be found and, upon receiving my MBA, I would be married to a woman who would expand the Ootori influence. His words were daggers, sharper than the slap that radiated pain throughout my body. Rather than stand up for myself I backed down, ever to play the dutiful third son. I was destined to become the support staff for a strong dynasty. Always Ootori. Never Kyouya. At times I wondered why I had been given my own name. But truly, there was no question about obedience. While I did not care about myself I could not risk Father's wrath falling on Haruhi's head. Thus, to protect her from any pain that a connection with me could cause, I pushed Tamaki forward as my replacement. Even though he was a total idiot he was a most caring person. My fine teacup would be in good hands.**

Haruhi Blusters

Following that strange day when Kyou-senpai sat contemplating his coffee cup he became even more aloof. He was always keen to remind me that I was a commoner and therefore had nothing to gain from a relationship with me. However, a few glimmering moments shone through, proving that his Shadow-King glower was a façade. He was less than forthcoming as to why he hid behind his egotistical blind and frankly that pissed me off. If this were an attempt to draw me forward by retreating I would be most displeased. I have always preferred forthrightness and wished that he would either kiss me or let me go. However, I wasn't willing to give up, as the light that shone through was beautiful and warm. His real smile, the smile that reached his eyes made me feel that that light shone fore me.

**Koyoya Concedes **

**My attempts to play Cyrano to Tamaki's Christian were unsuccessful.****Perhaps my talents as a match maker were poor; Perhaps Haruhi sensed my mechanizations and bridled; Perhaps. Father's own efforts were well under way however.****Like applicants interviewing for a position in Father's company the girls were paraded before me in a seemingly endless progression.****I put on my archaic smile and charmed each and every one as if they were my customers at the Club.****It was a pantomime of course for the decision was not my own.**

Haruhi Laments

The days came and went. Weeks turned in to months. Spring's leaves turned to Autumn. And with the changing seasons Kyou-senpai retreated further behind his cool façade, seemingly placing Tamaki-senpai before me as an offering. At times I wanted to shriek Why! Why! Why! Why had he caved so easily! But for the most part I felt incredibly sad. The sun shone less and less behind the clouds until the shadows overtook his eyes, deadening them once again. Tamaki-Senpai tried to comfort me but he was a pale comparison to what I had seen in Kyou-Senpai when he truly smiled. The twins were saddened too. Oh they buzzed around me still and Hikaru continued to attempt to catch my attention. However their actions were half hearted at best. Mori-Senpai and Hunny-Senpai plied me with sweets and comforting hugs. However, all was to no avail- they could not bring me out of the gloom that the pall of Kyou-senpai's mood instilled in me. My questions brought about a few knowing looks but little else as no one could be persuaded to tell me what had happened.

* * *

So there's chapter 3! I hope that you like it! Please r and r! I promise that the rest is forthcoming very soon. TTFN! Acta :)


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Greetings and Salutations once again! Thank you as always to those out there in cyber-space that have taken interest in my story. I PROMISE that this is the penultimate chapter and that the final chapter will go up tonight before I go to bed (hmmm- fairly early- well it is a work night) So without further ado about nothing (or noting as the case may be) the penultimate chapter!

Disclaimer- I do not own Kyouya-kun or all the other pretty denizens of Ouran Host Club no matter how happy that would be....

**Kyouya Hopes **

******On the eve of the Host Club's tea party Father announced that he had chosen my fiancée and that I would meet her at the annual business meeting the next night. I made a perfunctory show of pleasure and excused myself to my rooms. I had become a marionette dancing on Father's command.**

**Seeing that I seemed troubled my older sister Fuyumi served me tea from my favorite Ginori set.**

"**Kyouya-kun," she asked. "Did you know that this was your Great-Grandmother's wedding china? It was imported from Italy on a steam ship at the turn of the century. Miraculously the entire service arrived perfectly intact except for this coffee cup. See, there is a tiny chip out of the base? That truly is a testament to the endurance of things if care is taken, ne?"**

**Fingering the cup, I asked Fuyumi why the imperfect cup had been saved, as this was very counter intuitive to the Ootori quest for utter perfection.**

"**Oh, I don't know," she said, "But I have always thought it was because it stood for our Great-Grandmother's love for our Great Grandfather. For you see, while we style ourselves as royalty, in fact only half the family is actually noble- her half. Our Great-Grandfather was a lowborn tea merchant. And while their love was imperfect in her family's eyes, it survived none the less."**

**While I wondered if Fuyumi was spinning tales to make me feel better I could feel my warmth return. My hope was further bolstered by the fact that one tea leaf was pointing upwards in my teacup, a good omen. Casting aside my former skepticism about the relative prophetic powers of hot beverages I found myself praying that this was a harbinger of positive things to come.**

Haruhi Plots

I had finally had enough of the Shadow King's icy temperament. As he would not come out from behind the storm clouds willingly I was going to have to find a way to coax him out. I found my opportunity during a tea party hosted by the Club. Enlisting the help of the twins, who seemed very willing accomplices, we hatched a plan to corner Kyou-Senpai. I wondered at their complicity, but as we had little time and much to do I would have to wait for a more opportune moment to silence my growing worries. As Tamaki-Senpai was still holding a candle for me he needed to be gotten out of the way. And then there was the matter of the coffee cup. Was I going to have to sacrifice another in the name of my sanity? At that point I would have broken the entire service if it elicited a response from him. His mood those last few months could have stopped global warming. But there it was, in the back of the cupboard where I had placed it.

**Kyouya Ponders**

**It had been another banner event for the Club and the room was packed. As I sat with yet another Ginori coffee cup (I still couldn't bring myself to drink the Hescafé that floated within) I calculated our profits. And then something hit me. Coffee….In a coffee cup…..At a tea party….. Now I had taught Haruhi the differences between a coffee cup and a tea cup so I was reasonably certain that she wouldn't have made that particular mistake so commonly made by those unversed in the ways of setting a table properly. This certainly brought many questions to mind. Was it taken out in haste? Was I the only one given a coffee cup? Why was I served coffee while everyone else had tea? Casting my eyes around the room in order to determine how many coffee cups had been pulled for the customers my attention was drawn by a great torrent of activity that had, at that moment, erupted on the floor. The twins appeared to be playing catch with Tamaki's favorite stuffed bear, thus garnering his ire. Each toss moved the group closer and closer to the door. And with one final toss the trio went flying through the door, slamming it shut on their departure. As many of the customers were amused by the group's antics they followed suit. The few remaining women, most of who were my long denied customers, slipped away, leaving me alone to follow my previous train of thought.**

**Picking up the coffee cup I noted that it was perfect, save a tiny chip in the base as if someone had put it down heavily. Pulling out a bundle from my valise, I unwrapped my family's Ginori coffee cup. While slightly less worn as it had sat hidden in my family's dish room for years it was identical to the Host Club's cup, down to the chip. Carefully I put my family's cup down** **and made my way to the dish room.**

Haruhi Waits

As the room quieted following the Twin's distraction I heard measured footsteps approaching the dish room. I had piqued the curiosity of Kyou-Sempi. Attempting to calm myself I went about washing the dishes in the sink. I sincerely hoped that my façade of domestic nonchalance would pass muster.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Weee!!!! Here's the end!!!!! (okay- getting towards sleep deprived giddiness- must sleep. I'm generally not a giddy person- I actually tend towards Kyouya in nature- especially when gotten up too early on a Monday and there's only DECAF in the house) Hope it hangs together in a harmonious whole and that there aren't too many jarring bits. I did trip over a few of the passages here and there but hopefully I polished out the pointy bits. Enjoy! And as always please r and r!

Disclaimer- I have not, nor have I ever, owned any part of Ouran High School (siiiiiggghhhh!)

* * *

**Haruhi and Kyouya Strategize, Equivocate, Harmonize**

**Upon entering the dish room I put the Club's coffee cup onto the counter in front of Haruhi and began rummaging through the cupboards. As I played chess regularly I saw her obvious feint almost instantaneously. The cup had become a pawn designed to draw me out. Two could play at that game. **

"**Haruhi," I asked, "Beyond the obvious question of why you brought a coffee cup to a tea party I do have a question as to why we have an odd number of the Classico Ginori service? This is quite strange as I remember ordering a service for 50. Where do you suppose this one came from?"**

He was being coy. I should have known that he would have seen through my stratagem. He was the Shadow King after all. Throwing all feints to the wind I countered his move with an inescapable checkmate—bluntness. For no matter if he spoke or stayed silent my questions regarding his actions would be answered.

"Well senpai, it has a chip in it, but it is still perfectly good for informal meetings. It would be such a waste to throw it away. And now that you mention it, I was wondering why you banged it in the first place and then put the blame on me?"

**Blunt! Always so blunt! Her comments made me worry that I had misread her emotions, that she did not care for me in that way, that she was only concerned about the extra cost of the cup. I have always been a good study of character. After all, I was the first to see through her androgyny. However I truly worried that I had miscalculated in this instance. I decided to test the waters in the only way I knew--equate my feelings to tangible things of worth.**

"**Do you know, Haruhi, that my family has a set of Ginori just like this? We even have a coffee cup with a chip in its base. My Great Grandmother, who was born into a noble family, married a tea merchant despite her family's disapproval. The Ginori was their wedding china."**

**Damn it! Why did I always talk about things rather than emotions? She looked so bored. I would have to get to the point or lose her attention, perhaps forever.**

"**The thing is…." **

While I had wanted to know about his family eventually this was not the time. He was standing quite close, and while the dish room was bigger than my entire apartment we may as well have been standing in a small coat closet for I felt his proximity as keenly as I had in Okinawa. He looked particularly attractive in the Club's latest costume- a dove gray mourning coat and trousers that brought out the light gray highlights in his obsidian eyes. I was happy that even though they resembled storm-tossed seas Kyou-senpai's eyes expressed true emotion. I had at least broken through the deadening façade of happiness that had resided in them during those last few months. His constant fixation on coffee cups made me wonder- could you melt porcelain? I decided to experiment by leaning into him.

**My newfound emotional side overrode my analytical mind, stopped up my prepared speech, and unhinged the door locking away the what-ifs that had dwelled in the back of my mind since that trip to Okinawa. I could feel that undeniable warmth shoot through me as her body leaned into mine. Taking into account the discrepancies in our height I carefully lifted her onto the counter. Pulling slightly back before our lips touched she coyly asked, "I thought that there was no merit in connections between us Senpai?" Chuckling, I replied, "You warm me Haruhi. That's the merit." Bridging the gap that represented so much more than just an increment of space our first kiss was indeed a harmonious creation- a Ginori if you will.**

As cold porcelain melted at our touch a slight scuffling noise drew my attention away from Kyou. Propping my head on his shoulder the unwelcome sight of identical red heads peering at us from behind the doorjamb came into view. Hoping that their entrance had gone otherwise unnoticed I attempted to shoo them away. But as if to spite me they began to clap. In unison they exclaimed, "Apparently this melodrama has a happy ending after all! We thought it would never end!" Despite my frantic gestures Hikaru continued,

"Did you ever tell her why you were staring at the cup Senpai? I bet you were comparing her to the warm, commoner Hescafé and yourself to that cold, elegant cup. Nice metaphors Senpai, but you've got it backwards! Haruhi's the cup because you're gonna fill…." Mercifully Kauru muffled his brother and dragged him out, leaving us to ourselves. Fearing that he would kill Kauru and Hikaru I turned Kyou's face towards mine and continued where we had left off.

**Pushing aside my thoughts of killing the twins (who were boasting about how they had brought us together and that someone owed them big) I marveled at how Haruhi and I had been brought together by a small piece of history, a history that resonated with my own. I refused to think of Father's reaction to my choice in relationships. If all else failed I would bring up the Ginori.**

Apparently Hescafé does not have prophetic powers for I am sure no one could have predicted that a cup would unite Kyou and me. However, I shouldn't have felt so surprised as we were not the first couple to be brought together by Ginori.

* * *

Fin! Well, for now- this might actually become part of a larger story arch called Hinge Factors. However, as I have other kettles of fish to fry I will return to it anon. TTFN! Acta.


End file.
